Liam Rosenior's reputation left in tatters as 'stupid' comments leave fans furious

EXCLUSIVE: Liam Rosenior's comments have not gone down well

Liam Rosenior tarnished his reputation at Strasbourg by moving to Chelsea in January. That's according to Alexandre, the spokesperson for the Strasbourg Supporters' Federation, who delved into the Englishman's final months at the Ligue 1 side and the controversy that arose from his departure to replace Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge.

The ex-Hull and Brighton defender established himself as a head coach at the Yorkshire side before joining Strasbourg in 2024, where he earned plaudits for the team's consistent performances and attacking football, even though he had one of the youngest squads in Europe. Despite going five games without a win during the winter period in France, Rosenior was handed the top job at Chelsea following Enzo Maresca's exit.

But the Englishman's departure has only had "minor impact" on Strasbourg says Alexandre, who added Rosenior's comments about the club since leaving have been branded as "stupid" by the fanbase. When asked about the sentiment Strasbourg fans now have towards Rosenior, he explained to football.london: "Well, it's clearly negative. I mean, there were a lot of people who were really disappointed, not only by the fact that he left in such a manner, but also about his comments. He made a very stupid comment saying that we should be proud to have a manager who went on to be at Chelsea.

FOLLOW OUR CHELSEA FB PAGE! Latest Blues news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page

"That was really, really not something you would like to say because it really hurt at Strasbourg. And then he also said something in his first press conference at Chelsea, about the French public being very critical of him. And that was not the case."

He added: "He was saying all the right things and he was telling everybody what they want to hear and then he left in such a manner and he made these really stupid comments. So we see him very negatively right now."

Despite Rosenior's bright start to life at Chelsea with four straight league wins, the high morale has since dwindled with the club recording just one league victory in their last six games, on top of their humiliating 8-2 aggregate defeat in the Champions League at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain.

Alexandre insisted that while Rosenior made a positive impact during his time in France, he was reaching his managerial ceiling towards the end of his tenure in Ligue 1. He explained: "He was playing some high-risk entertaining football and he also had a very decent series of results in the spring of 2025.

"The last two or three months of 2025 were a bit more difficult for him, just before he went to Chelsea, so it seemed that he was kind of reaching his ceiling. But overall, he had made a very positive impression in France until his departure was really badly managed.

"Especially with some declarations that he made in press conferences, either at Strasbourg or Chelsea, which were considered offensive by many people in France, including Strasbourg supporters, but not only."

Both owned by parent club BlueCo, Chelsea have already signed a number of Strasbourg's young talents including Mamadou Sarr and Emmanuel Emegha. The multi-club model has been the subject of much criticism by Strasbourg fans unhappy at seeing their club turned into a de-facto Chelsea 'B' Team.

The club's ultras do not sing or chant for the first 15 minutes of every match, instead remaining silent in protest against the club's owners. While Rosenior's departure is only the latest issue to spark fans' anger towards BlueCo and Chelsea, Alexandre says the only solution he can see is for the two clubs to cut all ties.

Asked whether fans feel resigned to losing their best players to Chelsea, he continued: "Well, we do not feel resigned. I mean, we know it's going to happen with this ownership and we hate it because we are against multi-club ownership and we think that multi-club ownership should be banned.

"And that's why we are fighting this ownership so that it doesn't happen anymore. We know that as long as BlueCo is there, that's going to be the rule. But the real solution is to kick BlueCo out."

Currently sitting sixth in the league table and six points behind Aston Villa in fourth, the Blues face an uphill race to qualify for the Champions League with fixtures against Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur yet to come.